Apparatus for expelling air from closed hot water systems



P 7, 1965 J. J. BRAUN 3,180,577

APPARATUS FOR EXPELLING AIR FROM CLOSED HOT WATER SYSTEMS Filed Jan. 5, 1963 FIG-1 FIG'Z I i I) W! ,H..

INVENTOR.

JOSEPH J. BRAUN BY TQRNEYS,

United States Patent Joseph J. Braun, 6046 Springdale Road, Cincinnati, Ohio Filed July 5, 1963, Ser. No. 292,858 8 Claims. (Cl. 237-63) The present invention relates to an apparatus for expelling air from closed hot water systems, such as space heating systems or the like.

In any closed system of heating by means of circulated 'hot water, the presence of air in the system produces undesirable effects the most annoying of which are noisy operation of the system and inability to maintain efficient and uniform heat radiation at all the heat exchange units or radiators of the system. While many allegedly curative devices, attachments, and system modifications have been proposed heretofore for eliminating the entrapped air problem, no satisfactory solution has yet proven effective.

It is an object of the present invention to provide novel means effective for eliminating from a circulating hot water heating system, the customary noise and erratic operation of the system due to entrapment of air in various portions thereof.

Another object is to achieve the foregoing objective with the use of a simple and inexpensive method and means to release entrapped air with the thoroughness and continuity necessary for efiicient and quiet operation of the closed system. i

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved air release unit which may easily and inexpensively be incorporated in existing as well as newly installed hot water heating systems, to achieve the greatest possible efficiency of operation of the system without the production of noise or vibration.

A further object of the invention is to provide effective, durable, and trouble-free means having no moving parts to be replaced or serviced, for eliminating air from a closed hot water heating system with sufficient effectiveness to preclude noise, vibration, and erratic operation of the system at all times.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal vertical cross-section of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, on a reduced scale,

1 showing a baseboard type of heat exchanger or radiator with the device of the invention applied in typical fashion.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken on line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG..4 is a cross-section taken on line 44 of FIG. 1.

With reference to the accompanying drawing, FIG. 2 illustrates one of a group of radiators or heat transfer units 6, usually connected in a closed hot water system which generally comprises a boiler and a system of feed and return pipes for hot water, substantially as disclosed in US. patent of B. Spieth, No. 2,434,596, issued January 13, 1948. Hot water usually is recirculated through the closed system by means of an electric motor driven pump under the control of one or more thermostatic demand devices in accordance with customary practice.

The radiator or heat transfer unit 6 may vary as to structure, depending upon taste or circumstances of installation, but for purpose of disclosure of the present in vention it is herein exemplified as a baseboard unit in strip form. Hot water from the boiler enters the radiator unit at the left as indicated by the arrow, FIG. 2, and leaves the unit by way of a return pipe 8. Pipe may be considered the feed pipe for hot water. Intermediate the pipes 8 and 10, the unit may be provided with concealed radiation fins or similar means to dissipate heat, according 3,18%,577 Patented Apr. 27, 1965 to common practice and not necessary here to disclose in detail.

At 12 is indicated the air expelling or releasing device of the present invention, comprising in general an elongate hollow housing or body which may be cylindrical in form, and within which are disposed stationary baffle plates 14, 16 and 18. At its opposite ends, the housing is provided with an in-flow bonnet 20 and an out-flow bonnet 22, which bonnets have cylindrical necks 24 and 26, respectively, whereby fluid-tight connections may be made between sections of the return pipe 8 by means of solder joints or the equivalent thereof.

It will be noted that bonnets 20 and 22 are flared to a larger diameter than pipe sections 8, so as to result in an enlargement of the size of housing 12, the housing be ing thereby made larger in diameter and capacity than pipe 8.

The housing 12 at a location intermediate the bonnets 20 and 22, is provided with an upstanding hollow nipple 28 formed to provide an internally screw-threaded bore 30 in which may be inserted a common form of automatic air vent unit 32. A popular form of automatic air vent unit is one known as the Dole unit, details of which are disclosed in the US. patent of Blackmore et al., No. 2,710,664, dated June 14, 1955. Such venting units include liquid absorptive elements which in a dry condition permit air to bleed from the pipe system to atmosphere;

but as soon as the absorptive elements are subjected to moisture of water, they expand and act to close the vents against further bleeding.

One of the principal difliculties attending the use of automatic air vent units in a hot water heating system,

has been the tendency for the absorptive elements there of to act prematurely for closing the vents. That is, the absorptive elements heretofore were so exposed toa rising level of water and turbulence in the system, that they acted to close the vents long before much of the entrapped air had an opportunity to leave the system. The air remaining in the system after closing of the automatic vents, was the very air that induced pounding, vibration, and noise in the system. The device of the present invention is constructed to overcome this fault, by protecting the absorptive element of the automatic air vent unit aganist premature wetting, so that a major amount or nearly all of the entrapped air may leave the system before the vent unit closes.

The desired protection against premature wetting of the absorptive element of the automatic air vent unit, is afforded by the proper disposition and nature of the transverse bafile plates 14, 16 and 18. All of the plates are normally fixed relatively to housing 12, and may be substantially at right angles to the housing axis. The

first plate 14, which is an initial interceptor of flowthrough the housing, projects upwardly from the housing bottom near the flared portion of bonnet 20 and acts as a dam over which liquid must flow in entering the primary chamber 34 between baflles 14 and 16.

Flow of liquid over baflle plate 14 is impeded by the secondary baffle plate 16, which is suspended from the top portion of housing 12 and serves to direct the flow downwardly and away from nipple 28, while at the same time permitting a flow of superposed entrapped air through an upper baffle plate aperture 36. Air passing through the aperture 36 enters freely into secondary chamber 38 of the housing, and will unrestrictedly rise into nipple 28 and leave the system through air vent unit 28 (FIG. 2). Secondary bathe plate 16, while permitting air flow through its aperture 36, has also intercepted any splash of water toward nipple 28 and the venting unit therein mounted, so as to preclude premature closing of the air vent unit.

The third or final baflle plate 18 is a solid plate sus pended in housing 12, preferably near the out-flow bonnet 22, and forms with plate 16 an air head compartment 40 in the upper portion of chamber 38, wherein air may accumulate and be ventedthrough nipple 30 and its I venting unit 28 until such time as substantially all the air in compartment 40 escapes before wetting of unit 28 occurs. As will be understood the level of liquid in air head 40 will rise gradually as air therein is displaced,

until finally the level of liquid reaches the absorptive;

element of vent unit 28 to close the unit against passage of both air and liquid. By the time closing occurs, practically all the entrapped air will have left, the chamber 3840, thereby conditioning the system for quiet and eflicient operation.

' An important function of the baflle plate arrangement is to ensure a relatively quiescent or non-turbulent character of liquid flow beneath nipple 28 and the automatic air vent unit supported thereon, so that any chance splash of liquid onto the vent unit absorptive element. is effectively prevented. This action precludes any premature closing of the vent unit and resultant entrapment of air which otherwise would have vented to atmosphere.

The housing 12 may be formed of metal or other suitable material, and its baflie plates 14, 16 and 18 may reach centerward to approximately the major axis of the lions: mg.

In the embodiment illustrated,'the housing is shown formed in telescopic sections which may be extended to increase the capacity of the housing chambers if desired. It may sometimes be found advantageous to adjust the capacity of housing 12 proportionately to the size of the radiator it serves, or to locations in the system which are expected to accumulate air in excessive amounts.

factured in various sizes initially, instead of providing for the telescopic adjustment for capacity.

If the telescopic form of device is desired, it is necessary only to mount slidable sleeves 42 and 44 upon the opposite end portions of the middle body element, and then-slidably apply the bonnets 20 and 22 to such sleeves at the desired locations. Once the capacity of the device has been thereby established, solder may be applied at the sleeve joints to preclude leakage of liquid and air from the housing interior.

In charging a newly installed hot water heating sys- It will, a be understood, of course, that the device may be manu- 4 i ment responsive to wetting for precluding venting of air and water from the chamber when arising level of water Within the chamber reaches the absorptive element.

'2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the elongate housing isof greatercross-sectional area'than the pipe in which it is interposed. r

3."Apparatus for expelling air from closed hot water heating systems, comprising a hollow elongate housing having at opposite endsthereof a water in-flow port and an out-flow port, a' pair of baflle plates depending within the housing and normal to the longitudinal axis of the housing and spaced apart longitudinally of the housing to provide an upper air chamber beneath which water may flow through said ports, one of said bafile plates having formed therein anelevatedaperture placing the upper portion of the air chamber in fluidfcommunication with the water in-flow port, and. an automatic, air venting unit above and in communication with the 'air chamber, saidventing unit including a waterabsorptive element responsive to wetting for precluding venting of fluid from the chamber when water within the chamber reaches the absorptive element.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the housingincludes a third baflie plate upstanding within the housing between the in-flow port and the apertured baffle plate and lying normal to the longitudinal axis of the housing to impede flowof Water into the housing and deflect such flow away from the aperture .of the apertured tem with'water, or in filling any system which for any reason has been emptied of water, it is considered ad vantageous to follow the customary procedure of manually venting the system first to release the large quantity of air entrapped incident to filling. Thereafter, the means of the invention may be depended upon to maintain the system in eflicient and noiseless operating condition.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the structural details of the device, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a circulating hot water heating system comprising feed and return pipes and a radiator arranged in closed system relationship, a hollow elongate housing 1 having at opposite ends thereof a water in-flow port and an out-flow port connected in one of said pipes to convey water and air with which the system is charged, a pair of baffle plates depending within the housing and in cation with the air chamber above the bafile plate aper-' ture, said venting unit including a water absorptive elebaflie plate...

5. Apparatus for iIISBIfiOILiH a pipeline of a closed hot Water heating system, comprising a hollowelongate housing embodying a middle section and end bonnet sections, each bonnet section having a reduced neck extension, said neck extensions of said bonnet sections forming inflow andoutfiow ports and said middle section and said neck extensions being axially aligned, spaced depending partitioning elements in the housing providing an upper air chamber intermediate said ports and below which chamber water may flow from the inflow port to the outflow port,- said partitioning'elements dividing approximately the upper half of the'housing, an upstanding partitioning element dividing substantially the lower half of the housing between theinflow port and an adjacent one of thedepending elements, said adjacent one of the depending elements having an aperture therethrough, and means connected with the air chamber at the top of the housing to vent the chamber :to atmosphere, said vent means being responsive to wetting for sealing the chamber against venting to atmosphere when exposed to wetting. I

6. Apparatus'as defined byclaim 5, wherein said bonnet sections are connected with said middle section for longitudinal adjustment relative to the middle section whereby to change the volume .of the housing.

7. Apparatus as defined by claim 5, wherein .said bonnet sections are connected with the rniddlev section by interposed sleeves slidably connected with the bonnets whereby to change the volume of the housing.

8. The invention as defined by claim 7Iwherein each of saidsleeves carries one of said spaced depending partitioning elements.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 558,906 4/96 Hogan 122-489 2,710,664 6/55 Blackmore et ah 237-63 2,713,973 7/55 Hencken et al 237-63 2,767,802 10/56 Orrell 55174 2,951,551 9/60 West 553l6 3,080,119 3/63 Shutkufski 237-63 EDWARD 1. MICHAEL, Primary Examiner. 

3. APPARATUS FOR EXPELLING AIR FROM CLOSED HOT WATER HEATING SYSTEMS, COMPRISING A HOLLOW ELONGATE HOUSING HAVING AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF A WATER IN-FLOW PORT AND AN OUT-FLOW PORT, A PAIR OR BAFFLE PLATES DEPENDING WITHIN THE HOUSING AND NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE HOUSING AND SPACED APART LONGITUDINALLY OF THE HOUSING TO PROVIDE AN UPPER AIR CHAMBER BENEATH WHICH WATER MAY FLOW THROUGH SAID PORTS, ONE OF SAID BAFFLE PALTES HAVING FORMED THEREIN AN ELEVATED APERTURE PLACING THE UPPER PORTION OF THE AIR CHAMBER IS FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH THE WATER IN-FLOW PORT, AND AN AUTOMATIC AIR VENTING UNIT ABOVE AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE AIR CHAMBER, SAID VENTING UNIT INCLUDING A WATER ABSORPTIVE ELEMENT RESPONSIVE TO WETTING FOR PRECLUDING VENTING OF FLUID FROM THE CHAMBER WHEN WATER WITHIN THE CHAMBER REACHES THE ABSORPTIVE ELEMENT. 